Dhaka can buy India's surplus oil under favourable conditions: Foreign secy

Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Masud bin Momen has said if India has surplus fuel oil, Dhaka can buy it under favourable terms and conditions.

"We will of course consider if India has any surplus in fuel," said the foreign secretary Monday (5 September) who is accompanying Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on her four-day state visit to India.

Momen briefed reporters following a meeting between the prime minister and Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar who discussed a range of issues, including Myanmar and energy security.

He said purchasing surplus fuel from India will be discussed on Tuesday with mutually agreed terms and conditions to meet the demands amid the crisis due to the Ukraine-Russia war, reports UNB.

Talking about purchasing fuel from Russia, he said it is not correct that Bangladesh cannot get oil from Russia but the fact is that they are now scrutinizing the technical specifications to that end.

The foreign secretary said they are also looking into which medium of the transaction will be chosen to settle such purchases.

He also expressed optimism that pre-signing procedures of the planned seven MoUs will be completed by Monday night and will be handed over during bilateral talks between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Tuesday.  

He said both Bangladesh and India placed their proposals to enhance the connectivity between the two neighbouring countries.

Bangladesh said priority should be given to those projects that will ensure betterment for the people of Bangladesh, India, Bhutan and Nepal.

"We know that there are some projects that are getting late," said the foreign secretary.

Talking about the grid connectivity, the foreign secretary said that there are matters of bringing electricity from Nepal and Bhutan while there is also issue of passing electricity from one part of India to another one.

Both the Prime Minister and the Indian External Affairs Minister expressed their hopes on this issue, he said.

Myanmar and Rohingya issues also came up for discussion as the Prime Minister talked about it.

She said there are some incidents in Rakhine and there is apprehension that these incidents might impact on the return of Rohingyas to their homeland.

Jaishankar also said that they are also witnessing that there is some turmoil there and that is not good for anyone.

The visit will further strengthen the multifaceted relationship between the two countries, said the Ministry of External Affairs.

A red carpet was rolled out as the Bangladesh premier arrived here on a four-day state visit at the invitation of her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

On arrival at Palam Airport at 11:40am local time (BD time 12:10pm) the premier was received by State Minister for Railways and Textiles of India Darshana Vikram Jardosh and Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Muhammad Imran.

A group of women, clad in colourful saris, danced and played music to greet the Bangladesh leader at the airport.

From the airport, Sheikh Hasina drove in a ceremonial motorcade to ITC Maurya, where she will be staying during the visit. The streets along the route were decked with national flags of Bangladesh and India. Portraits of Hasina and Modi were also installed along the way.

The visit is seen as significant amid the Ukraine crisis, global economic downturn and ongoing Covid-19 pandemic as the two South Asian neighbours seek enhanced cooperation to overcome the challenges.